Rotary Table Welding for Uniform Penetration on Irregular Plates
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Solution Overview
Problem
Welding the outer peripheral edges of irregular shaped plates in shell-and-plate type heat exchangers results in uneven penetration due to variations in curvature, leading to welding defects, as existing methods are not adaptable to plates with varying lengths from the center to the edge in the circumferential direction.
Innovation Solution
A welding device with a rotary table and a torch unit that adjusts the orientation and distance of the welding torch relative to the plates' tangential lines, maintaining constant orientation and distance along the circumferential direction, coupled with a controller managing the torch's position and speed to ensure uniform penetration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the plates are rotated at a constant speed, then the welding process is simplified, but the passing speed of the welding torch varies due to different curvatures, causing non-uniform penetration depth
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the rotational speed of the rotary table variable rather than constant. The controller dynamically adjusts the rotational speed according to the curvature radius at different positions along the circumferential direction, ensuring that the welding torch maintains a consistent linear speed relative to the workpiece despite the varying curvature. This resolves the contradiction by introducing dynamic control to maintain manufacturing precision while keeping the device configuration relatively simple.
2Manufacturing precision
If the welding torch orientation and distance are adjusted for each position, then uniform penetration depth is achieved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by adjusting the rotational speed parameter of the rotary table based on the curvature radius at different positions. Instead of mechanically adjusting the torch orientation and distance for each position, the system changes the rotational speed parameter to compensate for curvature variations. This approach achieves uniform penetration depth while avoiding the need for complex mechanical adjustment mechanisms, thus resolving the contradiction between manufacturing precision and device complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach eliminates welding defects by ensuring uniform penetration depth along the circumferential edges of irregular shaped plates, simplifies the device configuration, and reduces costs by eliminating the need for complex torch movement actuators.
Implementation Method 1
a welding torch positioned to face the outer peripheral edges of the two irregular shaped plates fixed to the rotary table
Data Source
AI summary
According to some embodiments, there is provided a welding device for welding outer peripheral edges of two irregular shaped plates which are overlapped, including: a rotary table to which the two irregular shaped plates in an overlapped state are fixed; a torch unit, including a welding torch positioned to face the outer peripheral edges of the two irregular shaped plates fixed to the rotary table; a first torch actuator, capable of changing an orientation and a distance of the welding torch relative to the outer peripheral edges; and a first controller, configured to control the first torch actuator, so that the orientation of the welding torch relative to a tangential line of the outer peripheral edges and the distance of the welding torch from the outer peripheral edges are kept constant along a circumferential direction of the outer peripheral edges, during rotation of the two irregular shaped plates.